Is a long-time practitioner of insight meditation, lived in a Buddhist monastery for over eight years. He has a PhD in Philosophy and Religion with a specialization in Buddhist Studies, and now directs Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction programs in six Bay Area medical centers. Bob studied with the renowned Burmese masters Taungpulu Kaba-Aye Sayadaw, Hlaing Tet Sayadaw, Dr. Rina Sircar and Pokokhu Sayadaw, and has experience with 32 parts of the body, 4 elements and charnel ground meditations.
Bob has completed training with Jon Kabat-Zinn and is a certified mindfulness-based stress reduction teacher having been certified by UMass Medical Center.
As our meditation practice matures, we may see the importance of relinquishing grudges, judgments and resentments through honest reconciliation. Through these practices we may discover the liberating experience of authentic reconciliation that may lead to greater peace and forgiveness.
This talk by Bob Stahl is the fifth in a speaker series titled Fundamental Buddhist Principles 2015. The Three Poisons are greed, hatred and ignorance. They are called the three poisons because they fuel suffering. For example, the nature of desire keeps us wanting something that we can’t quite get. The suffering is the misconception that we need to get that something outside of ourselves in order to be whole. Fortunately, the antidote is simply the relinquishment of the poison. By relinquishing greed, in its place arises contentment. By relinquishing hatred, in its place arises open heartedness. By relinquishing ignorance, in its place arises clear seeing into the nature of things and into the causes of suffering and the path to freedom.
Buddhist tradition offers a rich tradition of wisdom teachings. This series focuses on the philosophy, principles, practices, and instructions that are fundamental to developing a meditative or Buddhist practice. It is intended as an introduction to Buddhism series, with an emphasis on the primary teachings that guide meditators to a liberating understanding of the mind, world, and life.
